Eugene Ely
Eugene was born in 1815 and grew up near Newburgh in Orange County, New York. His father, Moses Ely Jr., was the Justice of the Peace there. Moses was originally from Livingston, New Jersey, where his father had a successful leather business.
What occupation Eugene followed in Orange County I have not been able to uncover. By 1838 he travelled the 70 miles down the Hudson River to New York City to work with his Uncle Smith Ely. His uncle owned 71 Fulton and also had a house there. He now became involved in making Caleb Bartlett's playing cards as Caleb was about to leave the business. He teamed up with John D. Abbot to make Bartlett's cards. They first started by making their own version of J. Y. Humphreys' Seminole War deck. (See John D. Abbot's page)
In 1842 Abbot moved on and by 1844 Lemuel Smith went bankrupt. Eugene and Thomas W Latham were now making the cards with George Cook's help.
What occupation Eugene followed in Orange County I have not been able to uncover. By 1838 he travelled the 70 miles down the Hudson River to New York City to work with his Uncle Smith Ely. His uncle owned 71 Fulton and also had a house there. He now became involved in making Caleb Bartlett's playing cards as Caleb was about to leave the business. He teamed up with John D. Abbot to make Bartlett's cards. They first started by making their own version of J. Y. Humphreys' Seminole War deck. (See John D. Abbot's page)
In 1842 Abbot moved on and by 1844 Lemuel Smith went bankrupt. Eugene and Thomas W Latham were now making the cards with George Cook's help.
In 1846 George Cook took over and Eugene moved out with his Uncle Smith. They start a paper business down the street at 79 Fulton. Soon his brother John Cole Ely joined him and they started their own company (Eugene Ely & Co.) at 89 Fulton.
During the 1850s they relocated several times, on Fulton and Gold streets, and then settled in at 57 Gold in 1863. He now stopped making paper and switched over to selling rags. The business must have been very successful because that year he was taxed on a value of $81,000 ($1.9 million). In 1870 he and his brother moved their business to Cliff street.
After the end of the Civil War Eugene moved his residence to Elizabeth City in New Jersey. In 1880 he was suffering from a paralysis when the census taker visited the home. The next year he passed away.